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Sand Dunes at Sunrise: Photographed at F/16, 1/100 second, ISO 100, EF11-24mm f/4L USM lens at 11mm, Canon EOS 5DS R. I took five exposures at one f-stop increments and blended using HDR in Adobe Camera RAW. I then took another image with my finger in the area of the sun to reduce sun flare. I took the same five exposures and combined them in HDR. I used this image in a layer mask in PhotoshopCC to reveal the areas without the lens flare.

Death Valley Landscapes and Night Sky Workshop Trip Report

I just finished up the Death Valley workshop and we had an amazing time! I was unsure of what to expect due to the recent floods in the park. All the roads were closed due to flood damage except the main road. It looked like going to some of my favorite places like The Racetrack and Badwater would not be an option with all the water damage! I shifted gears and decided to go to Valley of Fire instead for part of the workshop, but the night before the workshop started, we got news the Racetrack was now dry and we could walk on it! Plus the road to Badwater and Devil’s Golf Course opened up, just in time. The workshop was back on track in Death Valley as planned!

We spent our time with lectures on night photography and out in the field photographing the stark, but beautiful landscapes and night scenes. One night, we headed out to the Rhyolite Ghost Town and had a blast light painting the old buildings. We used red, blue and green lights to paint the abandoned town with the stars providing a beautiful backdrop. Out of nowhere, a donkey hee-haws across the street from us. It was so loud! Perhaps it was telling us that we were disturbing its sleep. We finished our night photographing an old car with the stars in the background and then headed back to our hotel for some much needed rest.

Rhyolite: Light painting for about 4 or 5 seconds with an orange gel on a flashlight for the back wall and a red headlamp for the interior room. Photographed at F/2, 20 seconds, ISO 2500, EF24mm f/1.4L II USM, Canon EOS 5D Mark III.

Bank Building at Rhyolite: I painted with a red headlamp for 5 seconds on the building. Then taking another photograph, I light painted the inside of the building with the red headlamp for about 10 seconds. I combined light painted images with a layer mask in PhotoshopCC. Photographed at f/2.8, 20 seconds, ISO 6400, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM at 16mm, Canon EOS 5D Mark III.

Star Trails: This is a stacked star trail with fifteen, 4-minuite exposures for at total time of 1 hour. These were combined in PhotoshopCC. Photographed using an intervalometer set to 4 minutes, f/2.8, ISO 800, 15mm fisheye lens, Canon EOS 5D Mark III.

The morning light was beautiful at Zabriskie Point. We enjoyed seeing the pink glow of twilight, known as the Belt of Venus. Watch for the pink glow in the sky about 10-20 degrees above the horizon, just before sunrise or after sunset.

Zabriskie Point: I chose an aperture of f/8 because it is one of the sharpest one the lens. Generally two to three stops from wide open will be the sharpest aperture for the lens. I didn't have a close foreground therefore I didn't need f/16 for more depth of field. Photographed at f/8, 1.6 seconds, ISO 100, EF24-70mm f/2.8L II USM at 28mm, Canon EOS 5DS R.

We took a road trip to The Grandstand and The Racetrack, renting jeeps to protect our tires. It was cold and breezy but we photographed the racing rocks through sunset and then stars, despite the cold!

I love the sand dunes. The forms and shapes have endless possibilities for compositions with sand patterns, animal footprints and s-curve shapes. We photographed at twilight and then with the sun, as it rose over the dunes.

Our last evening had howling wind gusts throughout the park. We decided to stay inside and did some additional lectures. The following morning was our last shoot. The weather report predicted even stronger winds but it was beautiful and calm. The hexagonal shapes, created by the drying salt, made for a delightful pattern. There were storm clouds hanging above Badwater adding drama. We saw some mammatus clouds, meaning breast clouds, that you can see in the gallery of images below. They have a cellular pattern of pouches that are under the base of another cloud. Overall, a great last photographic outing and a wonderful trip!

Badwater: I angled the camera downward to emphasis the hexagonal shapes in the foreground. This makes it look larger in the scene. Photographed at f/16, .3 second, ISO 100, EF16-35mm f/4L IS USM at 18mm, Canon EOS 5DS R.

Happy Star Trails, Jennifer

More images from November 2015 Death Valley Workshop. Click on an image below to enlarge.

This week I'm shooting at the amazing Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge and White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. The beautiful, snow-like sand dunes are made of gypsum crystals, making them white in color-stunning! The first day in Bosque I was rewarded with a spectacular twilight sky, with reds and orange lighting the sky. Watching and listening to the sandhill cranes and geese take off for first flight at sunrise is a sight to behold! Several of these moments reminded me of M. C. Escher's art - living, wildlife tessellations! Jennifer

I just got back from doing a fun, all day seminar at a Canon Explorer of Light event with the Great Plains Nature Photographers in McPherson, Kansas- I lectured on Nature's Elusive beauty and The Amazing Night Sky. I'd like to thank Canon as well as Coordinators Jim & Cindy Griggs for the opportunity to share with others my passion for nature photography.

Photographing the bison at sunrise. Photo by Jeff Heidel.

While in McPherson, I was invited to Maxwell Wildlife Refuge fundraising event with Jim, Cindy and Jeff Heidel, the event organizer, before my lecture. A group of photographers joined us to photograph the wild bison and elk that roam the refuge. All funds raised for the event went to help support the refuge! It was supposed to be a sunset shoot but the heavy fog created more of a Bison in the Mist mood! http://www.maxwellwildliferefuge.com

The first rays of light on an elk, the background in the shades helps the elk stand out from the image. For the composition, I placed it off center nd looking into the frame leaving space to show the elk in the ENVIRONMENT. I usually like the lower right or left corner for that. Photographed at f/5.6. 1/250 sec, ISO 1250, EF200-400mm f/4L IS USM EXT at 560mm. Manual exposure mode.

Jennifer Wu

Jennifer Wu Photography Blog - Jennifer Wu, a professional photographer since 1992, is best known for her nature, landscape and night photography. Jennifer was named by Canon USA to the elite group of photographers, The Explorers of Light.

JENNIFER WU

Jennifer Wu Photography Blog - Jennifer Wu, a professional photographer since 1992, is best known for her nature, landscape and night photography. Jennifer was named by Canon USA to the elite group of photographers, The Explorers of Light.